Their name says it all. "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez are Masters at Work. Their achievement is nothing short of immense for, having met at a time when dance music was beginning to sound stale, they successfully injected it with a decade's worth of inventive vitality. In the process the dance duo have repeatedly drawn on a rich musical tapestry that spans the cross-cultural sound waves of Afro-beat, classic disco, hip-hop, house, jazz, Latin and R&B, as well as the varied selections of Africa Bambaataa, Larry Levan, David Mancuso, Red Alert, Tony Humphries, Bruce Forest and John "Jellybean" Benitez. The embodiment of the eclectic sound of the New York underground, MAW have single-mindedly attempted to put Lonnie Liston Smith's words of wisdom into practice. "Expand your mind….."Our feet have followed.

Louie and Kenny were introduced to each other by Todd Terry, and began to collaborate when Vega invited Gonzalez to lay down some beats on his and Mark Anthony's first album, "When The Night Is Over". MAW's debut re-mix came soon after with Debbie Gibson's "One Step Ahead", which established them as the hottest new item on the underground scene. The first Masters at Work production, "Blood Vibes"/"The Ha Dance", reinforced their reputation, and Gonzalez and Vega have successfully straddled both ends of the music industry ever since, suffering the category-ridden nineties as if the confining notion of genre was just an illusion, re-mixing and producing groovy garage, deadly dubs, Juicy Jazz, lavish Latin and heavenly hip-hop.

Along the way Kenny and Louie created their very own blend of beats in the form of the ground breaking "Nervous Track", and the concept culminated in 1997 with the critically acclaimed Nuyorican Soul album, which brought together a dazzling talented and eclectic collection of artists and musicians. Roy Ayers, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown, India, Jazzy Jeff, Vince Montana, Eddie Palmieri, the late and deeply mourned Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz and Dave Valentine all appeared, delighted to be part of such an incredible project. A string of hits that spanned the underground and the charts followed: "You Can Do It (Baby)" featuring George Benson, "Sweet Tears" featuring Roy Ayers, "Runaway" featuring India and "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun" and "It's Alright" featuring Jocelyn Brown. Nightworld couldn't believe its ears.

A testament to their impeccable musical roots, the Nuyorican Soul album didn't just break new ground. It tore up the entire terrain of dance music. This was the first time that anyone had dared to bring together such diverse array of talent on a single album - an imaginative leap that could only have been thought up on the dance floors of New York. In addition, the album demonstrated that DJ re-mixers, so often scored as a breed head-banging automatons, could transfer their talent to the business of production. And once again Louie and Kenny were at the head of the pack.

A unique urban species, the dazzling duo have also been busy running their own fantastically successful label. Launched in 1995 MAW records has consistently broken new boundaries in the form of Gonzalez and Vega's fusion of jazz, Latin and funk, hypnotic beats and emotive vocals, as well as the very best of New York's finest up and coming artists. The label broke the smash hits "Everybody Be Somebody" by Ruffneck featuring Yavahn and "To Be In Love" featuring the always remarkable India. Recent hits on the label include Kenny and Louie's tribute to Fela Kuti, "MAW Expensive", "Latin Lover" by the wonderful Stephanie Mills and "I Love To Love" by Jody Watley featuring Roy Ayers.

All of this and more will feature on Louie and Kenny's ten-year anniversary album, an extraordinary collection of music that catalogues the duo's staggering contribution to dance music. Released by British label BBE, the collection features the very best of MAW's work with international artists such as India, the Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Daft Punk, Mel B, Simply Red, George Benson, Lisa Stansfield, Matha Wash, Tito Puente, Ultra Nate, and Luther Vandross, as well as cutting-edge underground collaborations with figures such as Kenny Bobien, Dajae, Four Hero, Monday Michiru, Donell Rush, Roni Size, Barbara Tucker and Michael Watford. And much, much maw.

And who can forget that the Masters posses prolific turntable skills? These DJs extraordinaire are a highly sought after presence in the international party arena. Such is their exploit in this domain that they have ventured to produce some of Dance music's most memorable events. For instance, the highly publicized and very exclusive Masters at Work Winter music Conference annual barbecues which culminated earlier this spring with a 10th anniversary celebration, as well as the Nuyorican Soul concert at Central Park Summer Stage which drew an audience of 11,000 screaming fans! Vega and Gonzalez guarantee success and enormous turnouts.

Even though the two-time Grammy nominees have been collaborating for ten years, they're as prolific today as they've ever been. Those Masters - they sure know how to work.

Biography courtesy of Electric Cabaret